Sample - Pretoria to Cape Town and Garden Route

Day notes

Upon arrival in Johannesburg, you will be met by a Kamsa Boutique Hotel  representative and transferred to Pretoria.

Spend the next day relaxing and or take a day trip around Pretoria, nothing is planned however! Garrick is planning to head up your way for a chat, he will be in touch.

Day notes

Today your train departs at 11.00 so transfer will be at 9.30 to have you at the station by 10.00 where you will check-in and receive a briefing of the trip and day ahead.

Day notes

Upon arrival at Cape Town Station at 6.00pm you will be met and transferred to your accommodation.

The Cellars Hohenort has beautiful grounds to really relax - and amazing food, it is quite a special place.

Day notes

The grounds at your hotel are wonderful and it's location, close to Kirstenbosch, gives you easy access where there is so much to do. Of course you can take a trip into the city or explore the wine region in Constantia - which is the oldest wine estate area and Groot Constantia has an amazing history connected to South Africa and the Cape's early days. Uber and Taxis are easy to arrange, or we can arrange a guide for the day and you can have total freedom. The red city sight seeing bus goes to Kirstenbosch and I recommend using that for an excellent and informative trip around Cape Town and to get to the city etc.

Day notes

Today your road trip begins - take the scenic route to Stanford via Betty'sBay and Hermanus - not a long drive but an easy day to get acquainted with driving on unfamiliar roads. This route is one of the most scenic in Africa, along the mountain edge overlooking False Bay. Betty's Bay and Kleinmond are lovely small towns and then Hermanus is bigger and finally Stanford, which is a small country town. The farm stay is a great place, you can walk freely and they have good restaurants on site.

Day notes

Today I suggest heading towards Agulhas, the southern most tip of Africa, before heading east and north - through farmlands, all the while following the mountains that flank the ocean. If you are up for a longer drive, cut through the mountains on one of the spectacular mountain passes and pass through Barrydale and other colourful rural towns before reaching Albertinia.

THE WHISPERING TREE [CHAMPION] IN ALBERTINIA

The "Whispering Tree" is a Ficus Burkei (Wild Fig) tree, and aside of being one of 86 Champion Trees in SA, it is also one of the ten thickest trees in the country.

Albertinia is just 50 km from Mossel Bay, at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains, and can very much also be called Aloetinia. The area is home to the indigenous Aloe Ferox/Cape Aloe and home to two aloe factories where the juice and gel get extracted  for health and skin care industries.

But gooey face masks, bitter drinks and agriculture aside, Albertinia is also the principal source of yellow and red ochre; a type of powdered clay (a mixture of ferric oxide, clay and sand) that is known as the oldest natural pigment in the world. The use of ochre dates back to the Middle Stone Age and it is still used in some parts of the world, such as Namibia, as sunscreen and mozzie protection and more modernly used as an adhesive and as a pigment in paint and artwork.

Albertinia, Aloetinia, Ochretinia, regardless of what the town is known for it is still a “dorpie” where everyone greets you warmly, smile sincerely and wave with enthusiasm. It is a dorpie home to a champion tree, a dorpie an ex Dior model stumbled upon and chose to call home, it is a town where you are always “just in time” for coffee or tea, it is a place where you are immediately recognised as an out-of-towner but welcomed like family, and it is worth putting on your indicator, making a turn and stepping on the brakes.

Things to do in the town of Albertinia

Below are just a few suggestions and while there are certainly things to do, see and experience in Albertinia, the conversation-and-connection with individuals at certain places was the highlight of my time in the town. So get talking. Maybe it won’t be the same for you, but maybe it will be even better.

Tuinplaas

Tuinplaas (right on the N2, you can’t miss it) is a mixture of restaurant, nursery and museum. When you are done dining or landscaping your garden in your mind as you browse through the different pots, pay the R10 entrance fee to experience the museum.

Inside there’s a toy car collection of nearly 10 000 pieces, veteran tractors like the 1933 McCormick Deering (look out for the cat named “Malema” who takes a liking in tractor seats as beds), an operational model railway and the world’s largest hand-knitted jersey! Yes, the tannies of Albertinia brought a Guinness World Record home by knitting a jersey, in the colours and pattern of the South African flag, that weighs 25kg and took 250 balls of yarn and 6 and a half months to complete.

And if when you step outside you will enter the R.O.A.R (Royal Ostrich Ancestral Republic); a comical portrayal of the plight of ostriches, from a President to a jail bird, that came all the way from Oudtshoorn but got stuck in Albertinia when their truck broke down. They say seeing is believing but when the storyteller tells you the tale of each ostrich, with so much enthusiasm conviction, hearing is believing…

Champion Tree

Go meet the Champion Tree of Albertinia, otherwise known as the Whispering Tree. It’s a wild fig tree (Ficus Burkei) and received its champion status by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The tree, which has been dubbed as one of the ten thickest trees in South Africa can be found and visited at Voëlroepersfontein Guest House & Writers’ Retreat.

When you stand under the tree you realise that it is not just a tree, it is more than bark and leafs – it’s a feeling, a sort of presence – and they say if you listen closely you’ll hear the tree whisper.

There are multiple nooks and quiet spots in the garden to just be, sit under one of the two Ficus Burkei trees, day or night, and experience the magnitude and magnificence of nature.

As the guest house’s website states, “those seeking solitude, i.e. noted artists, authors as well as those struggling to find their voice – or their story – find solace and clarity in the natural, peaceful surroundings of Voëlroepersfontein.”

If it sounds too airy fairy for you, just remember… don’t judge a book by its cover, rather turn the page.

There is really something about those trees.

Day notes

Today head down to Mossel Bay's famous old Post Office Tree before continuing on to Plettenberg Bay - a drive on national highways and very good quality roads. Beautiful scenery all the way as you are now on the Garden Route itself. The drive is an easy one and not long, so you can stop and explore as you wish - we will make detailed suggestions on things to do on your travel document.

Plettenberg Bay is the heart of the Garden Route and the best place to base yourself and explore the region - to avoid too many 1 night stays. So unpack for a few days and discover the forest - the big trees, the forest walks, nature trails and beaches.

THE POST OFFICE TREE IN MOSSEL BAY [DIAS MUSEUM]

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-post-office-tree-mossel-bay-south-africa

Day notes

Today I have arranged for my friend Matt to take you to the King Edward Tree as well as the forest station museum and the Chapel that are all central to the history of this region. Matt will give you plenty of information while you are with him and then you can go on yourself the following day to explore; the beaches, lagoons and estuaries all around here are quite beautiful!

KING EDWARD TREE AND BIG TREE AT TSITSIKAMMA FOREST

https://www.thegreendirectory.net/listings/south-africa/western-cape/knysna/bigtrees/king-edward-vii-diepwalle-big-tree

https://www.thegreendirectory.net/listings/south-africa/eastern-cape/kareedouw/bigtrees/the-big-tree

Day notes

Today you will drive back to George airport in time for your [early Covid test possibly] flight around 2pm. The drive takes at least 90 minutes so please leave around 2hrs before check-in time for your flight.

Day notes

Return back to the airport [early] for your flight departing to Tanzania, be sure to check-in at least 2 hours before your flight departs, with your Covid test results in hand!